Bio:

Aiden was born on June 4th 1980 in Morocco, the son of an Irish IRA member John (“Jack”) Cavannaugh and a Scottish mother called Sarah McAllister.

At the age of 12, the family moved to Belfast where life was hard. His father expected him to join the cause. Aiden helped his father as a messenger, spotter and eventually with more dangerous tasks, like placing bombs and running guns. His relationship with his father soured rapidly. His father drank and beat him. His mother offered him little in the way of sympathy. She always chose his father’s side in arguments. His childhood in Belfast was not without rewards however. His time with his father had taught him to be tough, how to shoot and how to stay hidden. He was a tough kid, and his instincts were well honed. He also saw things. He could hear people’s thoughts sometimes, and see strange flows of light that he could not explain. This caused even more of a rift between him and his parents.

His mother decided to send him to live with her sister Judith, who offered to take him in. She was warm and caring, if a little bizarre, and offered Aiden the first glimpse of what happiness could be. For a time, he was happy. She cared for him like her own, He went to school, lived a normal life. The distance from his parents offered him time to reflect, and he realized he did not share his father’s convictions. He decided to approach the British Army and offer his help in stopping the madness being perpetrated by his own father, after seeing several British soldiers blown up by a motorcycle bomb. It is during this time that he was put in touch with Alastair Lewis, feeding the British as much intel he could.

One day, when he was about 19, while he was rummaging around in his aunt’s attic, he discovered a strange grimoire that thrummed with energies he could perceive. He did not understand what he was seeing, but he knew he wanted to know more, it was calling to him. He took it in secret to a local gypsy lady he knew of. A fortune teller by trade, to have it deciphered. To his horror, the eldritch power within the tome flared and left the lady dead and many questions unanswered.

Aiden was wracked by guilt, and not wanting to implicate his aunt in the death of the gypsy lady, ran away from home. He sought out Alastair’s help for the last time, who provided him with a means to escape. His self imposed exile led him through many countries. He found himself back in his country of birth, a place with which he felt an odd kinship. He had hit rock bottom. An acquaintance he met on the road, encouranged him to travel to Algeria, to join the French Foreign Legion. As a Legionnaire, he was trained and his anger was channeled. His life gained purpose and direction once again. In his 7 year service, he achieved the rank of Sergent. He saw action in multiple theaters of war, including Kosovo, Afghanistan and Ivory Coast.

During his tour in Ivory Coast, his abilities started to flare up again. He needed answers, so he chose to leave. He finished his tour, and was honourably discharged. His path took him back to France where he sought out the teachings of a Hermetic by the name of Alaric Saint-Pol. Aiden learnt the bulk of his Hermetic knowledge from Alaric. He had the Tattoos designed and put on his body, and awakened fully to the new abilities that had been growing since the day he found the grimoire.

One day, several years into his tutelage, his somewhat reckless mentor decided to invoke ancient and powerful magics in the name of furthering his own understanding of the universe. He secluded himself in his inner sanctum and was locked away for days. The Umbrood that he summoned killed him without thought. Once again, Aiden was forced to flee. It took all his training and skill as a soldier to get away undetected. His last memory involved seeing his mentor’s house in flames, literally burning a bridge behind him. No word ever reached him of his Mentor’s true intentions or the Umbrood’s fate.

He made his way to London where he sought out a former contact of his Mentor’s, a man called Baedecker. Aiden has spent several months working for him as a “cleaner”, applying all of his mundane and magical training to his work. This work came naturally to him, and he excelled at it. After his childhood in Northern Ireland, 7 years of war in the Foreign Legion, and witnessing death all around him, his mind has long since grown accustomed to the horrors man is capable of. Horrors he doesn’t hesitate to commit himself.